Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

This is a wickedly witty Lady Julia Grey mystery. ‘There are things that walk abroad on the moor that should not. But the dead do not always lie quietly, do they, lady?’ It is England, 1888. Grimsgrave Manor is an unhappy house, isolated on the Yorkshire moors, silent and secretive. But secrets cannot be long kept in the face of Lady Julia Grey’s incurable curiosity. In the teeth of protests from her conventional, stuffy brother, Lady Julia decides to pay a visit to the enigmatic detective, Nicholas Brisbane to bring a woman’s touch to his new estate.

Grimsgrave is haunted by the ghosts of its past and its owner seems to be falling into ruin along with the house. Confronted with gypsy warnings and Brisbane’s elusive behavior, Lady Julia scents a mystery. It’s not long before her desire for answers leads her into danger unlike any other that she has experienced – and from which, this time, there may be no escape.

*spoiler alert*

While I really enjoyed the first two books of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, Silent on the Moor was far from giving me the same satisfaction.

In the final pages of Silent in the Sanctuary, we learned that Lady Julia was going to visit Brisbane’s mystery house, Grimsgrave Manor, with her sister, Portia. The later was invited by the young man to help him set up a more pleasant household on his recently acquired house in Yorkshire. Of course, Brisbane isn’t aware of this sisterly plan and when he sees Julia at his doorstep, he is somehow surprised and reluctantly agrees to shelter them both.

Julia and Portia find themselves living in an old crumbling house with the almost constantly absent Brisbane and the former owners, the Allenbys: Lady Allenby and her two daughters, Ailith (the family beauty) and Hilda (the tomboy). If in the beginning they enjoy their visit, they quickly see that appearances can be very deceiving…

While I think Julia is coming out of her shell since book two and we see now how much easily she makes her own decisions and knows what she wants, I can’t stop wishing she would kick Brisbane times to times. The man is completely obnoxious! I do understand why he doesn’t want to have someone in his life, even if I find the reasons exaggerated, but after a while I stop believing he actually cares for Julia and he is, in fact, enjoying being hunted.
It’s easy to understand that while she wants to show him she cares for him, his unjustified absences and rejections would try the patience of a saint. I admired Julia to pursuit what she wanted and cheered her up when she decided it was enough.

I have to admit I was much more interested in Portia’s relationship with Jane. They are both very warm characters and this turn of events was quite a surprise since they always seemed in perfect harmony. Hopefully, Raybourn will give their relationship another go.

The atmosphere is very gloomy and sometimes made me think of Wuthering Heights even if that never really works for me.

The mystery was very predictable and, at some point, I was asking myself how they could not see what was going on. You can feel since the beginning there are many skeletons in the closet of the Allenby family, their relationship is strained and in the point of breaking… The comments and attitudes of the servants and even the family about the late Sir Redwall and then Lady Julia’s discovery of two small mummies among the family Egyptian antiquities lead us to a well known story.

Also, after the Grey sisters arrive to Grimsgrave Manor everything seems to drag and slow down. The mystery part could have been solved quickly, just as the reason of Brisbane absences.

A pleasant read recommended to the fans of the series.

Grade: 3/5

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

This is Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel, a widely acclaimed work based on the actual murder, in 1831, of a progressive mill owner. It follows Mary Barton, daughter of a man implicated in the murder, through her adolescence, when she suffers the advances of the mill owner, and later through love and marriage. Set in Manchester, between 1837-42, it paints a powerful and moving picture of working-class life in Victorian England.

Mary Barton is Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel. I adored North & South and immediately tried to find all her other books.

I have to confess that I was slightly disappointed with Mary Barton Maybe my expectations were too high and this was, after all, a first try by the author. But don’t get me wrong, this was still a good story with many positive aspects.

This book is all about the city of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. It‘s our main character and Gaskell follows beautifully its growth. We assist to the first struggling of working classes and the unions or even the harsh daily life of so many families who faced poverty and death. I was entranced during these parts that were described vividly and in a very human way.

The love story between the young Mary Barton and Jem Wilson is sweet but that’s all. Somehow, the young couple seemed to be completely swallowed by the events who took place around them. I can say exactly the same about the murder of the son of a factory owner. We know since the beginning who was the responsible and the trial and final revelation are not a surprise at all.

Gaskell is a wonderful writer and a true storyteller. Her style is catching and despite some flaws, I found myself craving for more.

Grade: 3.5/5

Queen of this Realm by Jean Plaidy

In this “memoir” by Elizabeth I, legendary historical novelist Jean Plaidy reveals the Virgin Queen as she truly was: the bewildered, motherless child of an all-powerful father; a captive in the Tower of London; a shrewd politician; a lover of the arts; and eventually, an icon of an era. It is the story of her improbable rise to power and the great triumphs of her reign–the end of religious bloodshed, the settling of the New World, the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Brilliantly clever, a scholar with a ready wit, she was also vain, bold, and unpredictable, a queen who commanded–and won–absolute loyalty from those around her.

But in these pages, in her own voice, Elizabeth also recounts the emotional turmoil of her life: the loneliness of power; the heartbreak of her lifelong love affair with Robert Dudley, whom she could never marry; and the terrible guilt of ordering the execution of her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. In this unforgettable novel, Elizabeth emerges as one of the most fascinating and controversial women in history, and as England’s greatest monarch.

When I was invited to write a review about a book by Jane Plaidy, I readily accepted. I had heard so much about the author but never really had the chance to read any of her works. Queen of this Realm seemed like a good choice for this first experience, since the charismatic Elizabeth I, queen of England is one of my favorite historic figures.

The book opens with Elizabeth’s troubled childhood. Daughter of the all powerful Henri VIII and the attractive Anne Boleyn, who was executed when Elizabeth was only 3 years old, we sense how this child grew insecure of her place into her father affections and how deeply she was scarred by her mother’s destiny and her illegitimacy. Raised by governesses, servants and stepmothers (like Katherine Parr), we follow her life through the years, watching her slowly becoming the woman who gave her name to her time – the Elizabethan era.
 
The struggle between Protestants and Catholics create an unstable situation in England aggravated by Edward VI’s death and Mary’s ascension to the throne. These were hard times for the future queen who had to spend a year in prison after being accused several times of plotting against her sister’s life.

After Mary’s early death, she finally accedes to the throne, to the joy of the English people who were much in love for their princess. As a young queen (25 years old), many were those who wanted to see her settle down and giving an heir to the country.  Elizabeth decides to do exactly the opposite; she will be married to her people and will rule without a man by her side.  Of course, this didn’t stop her to have several suitors over the years, mainly due to diplomatic reasons.

The later years come in a rush with the victory over the Invincible Armada, the sudden death of Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester or even the queen’s tempestuous relationship with the deeply annoying Robert Deveraux, the stepson of Dudley.

I have to confess I was not expecting much from this book in terms of historical accuracy, since I heard the author is known to sometimes romanticize History. For what I previously read about Elizabeth I, these 400 pages are a fair account of her life, which is not an easy task to do in such a short length or even write as a memoir. Of course, several important moments are rushed in a few lines, it was almost expected. I’m nonetheless impressed that Plaidy still managed to pull it off so elegantly. Now I wish I had her entire backlist at home…

I particularly enjoyed reading about the queen’s relationship with Robert Dudley, how they met as children in court, found themselves imprisoned at the same time at the Tower and later built a very complex relationship that resisted during 30 years to everything and everyone: treasons, cheating, disputes, banishments… I was never very fond of Robert, I can actually understand Elizabeth’s fascination for him, but he really never wins my affections.

My favorite moments were mostly the portraits of some of Elizabeth’s pairs or close family, like Jane Grey, so insecure and innocent and clearly a puppet in the hands of the ambitious John Dudley, duke of Northumberland. The poor child looks just like a little lamb sent to the slaughter…
The fatherly figure of Lord Cecil who always admired his young queen and wanted the best for her, even if she sometimes strongly disagreed with his opinions, is very touching. He is always there for her, no matter what. I confess the scene when he gets ill and is lying in his bed talking with Elizabeth brought some tears to my eyes.
In the other hand, I missed to read more about Walsingham. He always fascinated me and I was quite disappointed to see that if he is mentioned here and there, we don’t know much about him or even quite see how crucial his role was during Elizabeth’s reign. We end up knowing more about his daughter and her hidden affair and consequent marriage to the spoiled Robert Deveraux.

Mary, Queen of the Scots is described almost as I imagined her: pretty, attractive but probably not suited to rule and certainly not a match for her intelligent cousin, Elizabeth. After 18 years living as a captive in England, she was becoming a liability and a threat… After collecting enough evidence of Mary’s treason and plots against his queen, Walsingham, along with other advisors, convinced Elizabeth of the necessity to bring Mary to a trial and an execution. Elizabeth’s fears and hesitation clearly show she knew how delicate the situation was; any wrong decision could gain her the displeasure of her beloved people and overthrow her. She readily admitted ruling by popular consent and valued the advice of the parliament and her counselors.

Something that deeply annoyed me was the frequent pinching and slapping given by Bess to her ladies in waiting and even her favorites. She is indeed known by her mercurial temper, especially in her older years but making her punish physically and constantly everyone around her gives her a childish behavior that seems far from her personality, even as a child.

A subject much discussed about Elizabeth was her virginity. Plaidy preferred to follow the queen’s reputation and the iconic and virginal image she built to herself but other biographies do mention she had certainly some affairs. Some even suggest Thomas Seymour ravished her when she was an adolescent and living with her stepmother, Katherine Parr, leaving her somehow traumatized for her future amorous experiences.

While rushing some important parts of Elizabeth I life, I do find this Queen of this Realm an excellent debut for anyone who would like to know this queen a little better. Jean Plaidy gives us an intelligent, empathic and very astute Elizabeth who learned since early age how to reach for her goals with patience and insight. She’s not a model of perfection or sainthood, she can be vain and egocentric but she was an inspiration to the men and women of her time and even today she continues to fascinate us. Elizabeth I was certainly a woman ahead of her time.

As I mentioned before, this is my first Plaidy and certainly not the last! Thank you ladies of the Historical Tapestry for giving me this opportunity to discover another great author.

Grade: 4.5/5

(Posted at Historical Tapestry during the Jean Plaidy season)

The Young Victoria DVD giveaway

Lights, Camera…History! is celebrating its new home and look with a giveaway. If you want to win a DVD of the movie The Young Victoria with Rupert Friend and Emily Blunt, you just need to visit us and read the rules:

http://lightscamerahistory.com/2009/06/29/new-blog-new-life/

 

Good luck!

Alice in Wonderland

Yesterday I saw the first stills from the new Tim Burton movie, Alice in Wonderland. They are gorgeous!

Here’s Johny Depp as Mad Hatter. Funny thing, I read in several blogs and boards people saying he looked like Elijah Hood and it’s true.;-)

 

The amazingly talented Helena Bonham-Carter as Queen of Hearts. What can I say, I know she will be perfect.

 

I was quite surprised with the choice of Anne Hatthaway for the White Queen, but I do like her even if her voice can sometimes annoy me a little.

 

Mia Wasikowska as Alice Kingsley. She looks lovely even if more grown up than I imagined her character…

 

Tweedledum and Tweedledee. I love their clothes!

Also, Alan Rickman will be the Caterpillar (curious but funny!) and Stephen Fry is the Cheshire cat and I can perfectly imagine him in that role. See the entire cast here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/

Sources: USA Today and Alice in Wonderland in Yahoo

Once Upon a Time Challenge: completed!

I’m a little bit late posting my wrap-up for the Once Upon a Time challenge. I don’t know what’s going on lately but times seems to fly and I find myself with huge amounts of work.
During these months, I didn’t manage to read the books I planned to and I picked up a couple of new releases who were quite tempting. Here’s my list:

1. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
2. Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti
3. Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian
4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
5. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

I’ll post the reviews later, since I have no sense of organization and only managed to write one of them.  Also I need to finish another challenge until the end of the month.

Four years already !

(larger version here)

Exactly four years ago, Mr. Kiwi was born. In September 2005, Mr. P. and I were looking for a cat and after a while, we finally found out a good rescue association in the arrondissement just near ours. I called and the director put me in contact with a lady who lived not very far from me and who had several cats for adoption. Next day I went to her house and I met all her guests. Everyone who has pets knows how this happens, you don’t choose them, they chose you. I was first introduced to the lady of the house, Megara, a 9 years old lady cat who simply sat on my lap the all time and made me scratch her ears for 2 hours. Meanwhile, a 3 months old orange tabby cat was actually sleeping on my left foot and doing his nails in my new socks. I looked at him, he looked at me and we both knew. It was love! The lady told me then that he was found outside Paris in a garden with his mother and 4 siblings (2 girls and 2 boys) the day they were born, June 1st. Mother and kittens were all very friendly but that one making holes in my socks was the boss of the pack. I knew we were doomed.

Mr. Kiwi (named by my dear half after his favorite fruit) was at home since the first day. I think he immediately understood he was the lord and master of the house and we were the people who occasionally pet him and feed him when he wanted to. Like any intelligent cat, he also knows very well how to pose and look at us with huge cute eyes (Puss in Boots, anyone?;-)) bringing us to our knees in less than 5 seconds.
 
We had some scary moments during these 4 years. At 6 months, he was diagnosed with feline eosinophilic. At first he had only a couple of inflammatory plaques in the back of his legs but with time, he had them in his paws and also in his mouth. The vet was almost resigned, Mr. Kiwi wouldn’t last long if the plaques spread down his throat. Since he suspected a hypersensitivity to food, we had to change lots of things at home and he could only eat very special anti-allergenic and non-fat food. There’s also a cortisone treatment he has to follow when the plaques come back. It’s been now a year without any crisis and we truly hope it will continue like this.

Even if I sometimes get annoyed with him when I get up in the morning and I hurt my foot in one of his dozen of toys spread all over the flat during the night; or when I notice he made again another hole in the cardboard box filled with books I had to replace because the other was half eaten by him (but he never chewed a book, he knows what to respect no matter what!); or when he decides to steal every sock he can find in the laundry basket to make a “nest” in his bed… we simply couldn’t live without him and every time we leave on vacation and he stays at home (with proper care and surveillance, of course) we do miss him terribly. Happy birthday, Mr. Kiwi! :)

 

A remake of V

Do you remember?

 

I loved this series when I was younger and I just learned there’s a new remake by ABC…

 

I’m not really convinced this will be good, but let’s hope I’m wrong. You can read more about it here.

Birthday gifts

 A. send me some fantastic gifts for my birthday and every time I’m in awe when I see how gifted she is.

I’m completely in love for this needle case. Curiously, I was looking for one a couple weeks ago and A. read my thoughts (one of her many super powers!) and just made one for me. How great is this?! ;-) Oh and the hippos are sooo cute!

 

She also send me a much needed and beautiful bookcover:

 

And even some books…

Thank you so much, A.! I love everything (still feeling like a kid in Christmas day) and your needle case is absolutely perfect.

Currently Watching…

Saw it already countless times but I’m in the mood today for another round. :)